Bryce Harper and the Philadelphia Phillies clinched their third consecutive playoff berth on Friday night with a 12-2 victory over the New York Mets.
Now assured of a wild card berth into the National League, the Phillies can secure their first NL East title since 2011 with another win this weekend against the second-place Mets at Citi Field.
With the division title so close, Philadelphia planned a quiet party after Friday night’s game. They hoped to get things started quickly with an alcoholic locker room party after securing first place.
Chasing their third World Series championship, the Phillies pulled away from Atlanta on May 3 to take the lead in their division and have not trailed since.
Philadelphia (92-62) has the best record in the major leagues and is headed for a first-round bye in the playoffs. It’s the third time the Phillies have reached the postseason three years in a row (1976-78 and 2007-11).
Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Alec Bohm, Trea Turner and Nick Castellanos drive the offense, while Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Ranger Suárez and Cristopher Sánchez make up the pitching, a roster that has remained largely unchanged since 2023.
Philadelphia won five straight NL East titles from 2007-11, then went 10 years without making the playoffs. The Phillies were wild cards in each of the past two postseasons, and went on consecutive October runs that ended in heartbreak.
They reached the 2022 World Series, where they lost to Houston in six games, and lost a seven-game NL Championship Series to Arizona last year, after beating the underdog Diamondbacks 2-0, 3-2.
This time, the Phillies are willing to do whatever it takes to finally finish the job.
Philadelphia has only won the World Series in 1980 and 2008.
